In reference to federal raids on medical marijuana shops in California, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said today, "The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind."

If this truly is the new President's policy, it may be the key for Americans to restore their liberty during the Obama presidency. Our best strategy for restoring liberty may be to start with the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified December 15, 1791 as the finishing touch on the Bill of Rights: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

States will most likely have a reason to pass a resolution like this and to challenge the federal government if there is a specific issue it wishes to handle itself. In Oklahoma, the effort is motivated by a desire to pass strict immigration laws. States such as California and Michigan could do it to protect their allowance of medical marijuana.

States will most likely have a reason to pass a resolution like this and to challenge the federal government if there is a specific issue it wishes to handle itself. In Oklahoma, the effort is motivated by a desire to pass strict immigration laws. States such as California and Michigan could do it to protect their medical marijuana laws.

On the issue of marijuana regulation, the Supreme Court ruled in the 2004 case of Gonzales v. Raich that it fit within Congress' role of regulating interstate commerce. The six Justices who voted on the side of the federal government neglected the fact that growing a few plants in your home for personal use doesn't involve any interstate commercial activity.

The Justices who voted against the federal government made some very important statements of dissent.

Justice Clarence Thomas: "Our federalist system, properly understood, allows California and a growing number of other States to decide for themselves how to safeguard the health and welfare of their citizens."

More from Justice Thomas:

If the Federal Government can regulate growing a half-dozen cannabis plants for personal consumption (not because it is interstate commerce, but because it is inextricably bound up with interstate commerce), then Congress' Article I powers -- as expanded by the Necessary and Proper Clause -- have no meaningful limits. Whether Congress aims at the possession of drugs, guns, or any number of other items, it may continue to "appropria[te] state police powers under the guise of regulating commerce...

If the majority is to be taken seriously, the Federal Government may now regulate quilting bees, clothes drives, and potluck suppers throughout the 50 States. This makes a mockery of Madison's assurance to the people of New York that the "powers delegated" to the Federal Government are "few and defined", while those of the States are "numerous and indefinite.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor: "Federalism promotes innovation by allowing for the possibility that "a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country"

There is still a case to be made that the federal government has no business raiding medical marijuana users in states that allow it. And it appears that President Obama wants to respect the states' decision on that issue. There are many other federal regulations against which we could make this same argument, and we should pressure our state governments to exercise their constitutional authority to handle those issues or allow their citizens to handle them independently. If there is ever a time in our lifetimes to proclaim our Tenth Amendment right, that time is now!

Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain will speak in Indianapolis at the National Sherrifs' Association 2008 Annual Conference & Exhibition this Tuesday, July 1st. Members of We Are Change Central Indiana will demonstrate outside the convention center from 9:00 AM to Noon.

We Are Change is an international grassroots organization originally started by family and friends of the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001. It's members seek answers to the questions posed by the victims' families to the 9/11 Commission which remain unanswered. They seek proper care for first responders who suffer from health problems following their heroic efforts that day.

We Are Change is also committed to exposing government corruption and threats to national sovereignty. Its members seek to defend civil liberties and to hold government officials accountable. They advocate for these issues through investigative journalism and street activism.

On July 1st, the members of We Are Change Central Indiana intend to demonstrate on the streets of Indianapolis in protest of the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain. McCain has failed to address the questions of 9/11 victims and their families. He has a track record in Congress that advocates military aggression and disregards civil liberties. He does not represent conservatives or lower and middle class Americans. He represents special interests and elitists.

We Are Change will expose these truths while John McCain is in Indianapolis. Members of the public are welcome to join our demonstration. Members of the press are also welcome to attend.

Over the past few months, I have met more activists for truth and liberty than ever before. I have met libertarians campaigning for Ron Paul, 9/11 truth activists, people young and old seeking the truth, seeking to share it with others, and seeking change. Many of these people have asked me, at what point do we resort to violent revolution. Many feel that it is already justified, and I have trouble disagreeing with them. We do need a revolution, and it may need to be violent, but we have not yet exhausted the efforts that must precede violent revolution.

I have analyzed some of the history of revolution. I have examined the possible scenarios we face and sought a solution. This paper will discuss the status of our revolution, what we must do before we resort to violent revolution, and why. I will provide a plan called the "Summer of Action," which calls for weekly street actions and shows you how easily you can start doing them. By engaging in the Summer of Action, we may create the change we seek. If not, then I expect that we will at least enable ourselves to move to the next step in our revolution.

Through the internet, documentary films, radio, and word of mouth, many Americans are awake and aware of the current threats to liberty. Based on the ratings of pro-liberty web sites, radio, and television programs, as well as the way Americans vote, I can make an estimate of what the number of awake and involved Americans. Alex Jones' radio show is said to get as much as three million listeners. Over one million people voted for Ron Paul in Republican primaries this year. A few million people have watched documentaries like America: Freedom to Fascism, End Game, Loose Change, and TerrorStorm. Polls show that fifteen percent of Americans are libertarian, while only two percent vote libertarian.

The demographic we face is one where 95 percent of people are trapped in a left-right, two party political paradigm. At least fifteen percent of Americans are awake and aware about government corruption, 9/11, and the economic situation, while about five percent understand the central banking conspiracy that lies behind all these issues. About five percent of Americans are prepared to make a stand right now, however, a very tiny percentage are active. The only hope for this country is that this five percent gets active right now.

Five percent of American is over one million people! If those people take the step from understanding to physical action, it will enable us to change this country. In fact, if only a handful of people in every city start acting, we can increase those numbers of people who are informed, while also increasing the numbers of informed people who are active. When informed individuals see others taking action, they are more likely to do so too. When those who are not informed see people take action, they will pay more attention to the issues.

I hear many people in this movement for truth and liberty discuss the need for revolution. Revolution is possible with only five percent of the population active (just ask George Washington about that). However, that five percent can only succeed if a majority of the rest of the public is sympathetic to their cause. Violent revolution is a last resort. If it is attempted prematurely, it will be easily interpreted as insurrection. The revolutionaries will be projected by the establishment and their controlled media as a fringe group that is a threat to public safety and security. Revolution must follow a process that begins with non-violent action.

Once we are aware of the need for change, we must first take non-violent action on a large scale. This gets our message out to the public. It shows our commitment and credibility, building sympathy for our cause amongst the general public and those working within the government. Once that is established, rights can be fully declared. Government authorities then have the choice between either respecting our rights or forcefully opposing them. Public sympathy is a strategic advantage for the revolutionaries at this time. It can dissuade authorities from using force.

When the revolution has reached the point where an authority must decide between respecting rights or using force, there is a good chance it will use force. It is a poor decision on their part. The revolutionaries now have permission to take their cause to the level of violent action. They are a non-violent group that was assaulted by a violent oppressor. The general public will be sympathetic to their cause and offer support. Sympathetic members of the government will support them from the inside. Members of neighboring countries and their governments may also offer support.

Let's look at the American Revolution as a successful example. The people demonstrated their opposition to taxation without representation. They authored a "Declaration of Independence." They took physical action just to the edge of non-violence (some may argue the Boston Tea Party was violent because it destroyed property). The British government then became the violent aggressor. Troops shot protesters in the Boston Massacre. Finally, at Lexington and Concord, armed troops were on a mission to disarm the public. A group of citizens stood in their way. Shots were fired, and a revolutionary war began. The British were seen as the aggressor. While a small percentage of the colonists were actively engaging in the revolution, they had the sympathy of a great majority by being first non-violent but very assertive, then defensive.

Here is the method that we will use, the method of successful revolution:

First, the group of people who is being oppressed must be aware of their rights and how those rights are being oppressed (some people will never even come to accept this fact). Those who accept must then take the step of action. They must address their grievances to their representatives in government. They must vote accordingly.

This is already an area we are failing to accomplish. If you vote for a candidate for office who is not committed one hundred percent to your liberties, you are willingly granting permission for others to take away your liberties.

I tried to address this issue earlier this year by starting the "People's Candidate Initiative." The mission of the initiative is to find candidates who stand for our rights, to only vote for those candidates, and to actively support their campaigns. Here are the qualifications I determined are representative of a people's candidate:

1. The people's candidate is not supported by corporate or foreign lobbying and financing.2. The people's candidate does not participate in elitist think tanks, secret organizations, or secret meetings (i.e. Bilderberg, CFR, Skull & Bones, Trilateral Commission).3. The people's candidate's policies are in line with the U.S. Constitution.4. The people's candidate supports a non-interventionist foreign policy discouraging military aggression.5. The people's candidate supports policies for other issues, such as economics, education, and regulations, which keep choices, services, and property in the hands of individual citizens and local communities.

Edwin Vieira, Jr., a lawyer specializing in constitutional law writes,

That “the government is denying us our rights” and even that “the government is oppressing us” are complaints all too commonly heard among patriots today. Yet, although instances of public officials’ misbehavior are both numerous and serious, this characterization of the situation obscures the true cause of and proper remedy for the problem.

Surprising as it may seem to some, as a matter of law it is impossible for “the government” to deny Americans their rights, let alone to oppress them.

The United States and each of the Union’s constituent States is a constitutional republic. The fundamental principle of constitutionalism is that some powers are granted to the government and others withheld. At any moment, “the government” — whether national, state, or local — consists of the set of behaviors by the people in public offices that comport with the powers and absences of power (“disabilities” as lawyers say) set out in the supreme law. Where the supreme law guarantees individuals certain rights, the government lacks any power to infringe, abridge, or deny those rights.

There is only one catch to this system: the people must exercise their authority to govern themselves. They first may do so by voting these officials out of office. How many incumbents were reelected in 2006 after voting in favor of the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, etc.? If the answer is "any," we are not doing our job. The answer is "very many." We must refuse to vote for any candidate who does not meet all six qualifications of a "people's candidate." It does more good to not vote at all than it does to vote for one of the "evils."

There is only a handful of people in the U.S. Congress who meet the qualifications of a people's candidate. These are Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Scott Garrett, and possibly a few others. We must refuse to vote for any others. No more "lesser of evils." The lesser of evils is still evil. If you vote for any of candidate who does not meet the six qualifications, you are neglecting to exercise your right to representative government. You are also inhibiting the ability of responsible voters to protect their rights.

Many who read this would now argue that voting will not effectively restore our liberties. It is correct that a majority of Americans will not be convinced to vote in this manner, and we will continue to face our problems. It is also true that the election system is rigged against us in every way possible. We do not have an open election system that ensures that every vote is counted. However, voting (or perhaps not voting) is only one of many steps to restoring our liberty. Most of the steps will not be initially successful in restoring liberty, but are necessary parts of the process of revolution.

If you are committed to defending your liberty, the most important step you must take in this process is physical street action. Part of my reason for writing this is to stress that you do not need a group to accomplish physical activism. It is quite easy to do on your own or in a small group, and I will provide you with the ideas and resources you need to do it.

The mission of the Summer of Action is for every activist to do at least one physical action every week from reading this paper until the November general election. If you must miss a week, you will have to do two in the week before. Make no exceptions; our situation is too dire to make any exceptions. This may seem like a difficult and unreasonable expectation. You have a busy life with many other commitments. Again, our situation is too extreme. We are faced with no other choice. I understand your situation, so I will now provide you with ideas and resources that I have created or gathered from other activists. This resource will make it possible for you to start taking action today. If we carry out the "Summer of Action" as I have written it here, "We The People" may be empowered by this November to exercise our rights to their fullest extent. If the Summer of Action has not done enough to completely restore our rights (possible but not likely), it will allow us to move on to the next step of our revolution.

The following is a list of ideas for distributing information via street actions. Some of the ideas may be considered unethical, or prohibited by some people or institutions. That is for you to decide. I have simply selected actions on the basis that they are not violent or destructive to others' property.

Print flyers. Hand them out to people in a public place. You can just go downtown for an hour or two almost any time during the weekend, and there will be people walking about who you can talk to. Sometimes it is even better for the streets not to be crowded. Be sure to make eye contact and express your views in a concerned manner that shows compassion. Some flyers are available for download at the WeAreChange Central Indiana web site.

Distribute flyers in other means. Slip them into newspapers and magazines at a newspaper stand or bookstore. Slide them under doors to offices, apartments, or hotel rooms. Post them on bulletin boards and in places set aside specifically for brochures.

Utilize your public libraries. Libraries often have space available for the public to post flyers and brochures. They also have facilities that you could use to arrange a group meeting or a presentation. When targeting libraries, provide books that people could check out to get more information. Some examples might by Ron Paul's The Revolution: A Manifesto, John Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, or many works by David Ray Griffin regarding the attacks of September 11th and the need for investigation. These should be available at most libraries and bookstores. Just like bookstores and newsstands, you can slip flyers into materials such as related books, music, and movies. You can also encourage your libraries to carry books and movies that inform people about issues important to you. Schedule some actions that target the libraries in all of these ways.

Create banners. You can make these yourself with some bed sheets, spray paint, and stencils, or you can have them professionally printed at any print shop (i.e. Kinko's, Staples, etc.) for $100-$300. You can hold banners in marches or demonstrations with a group. You can also hang them over bridges in high-traffic areas. Stick to short slogans that are easy to read and simply grab attention to the fact that there are people taking action. "Ron Paul r3VOLution" and "9/11 was an inside job" are popular choices. Web site addresses such as "Infowars.Com," "TruthAwaits.Com," or "IndyTruth.Org" are also good choices. Be creative too!

Create posters. You can print these yourself, make them with markers or paint on posterboard, or have them done in a print shop. You can post a little more information on a poster than a banner. Place them on utility polls, walls in high traffic areas, and bulletin boards.

Get creative with signs and posters. You could make signs that you can stick into the ground. You could also print bumper stickers for cars and other places.

Canvassing door-to-door for political candidates is one of my favorite actions. Pick a "people's candidate" like Ron Paul or someone running in your local area. Get details about their issue stances. Ask each person you talk to what issue is most of important to them in the election for the particular office. Share the candidate's record or platform on that issue alone. Hand them literature. Be polite, and head on to the next house. It is a short contact. If you find people who are interested in a candidate, help them get involved in the campaign as donors or volunteers. Leave behind literature at houses where no one answers the door. This is a great way to meet people, introduce them to new ideas about political issues, and get people focused on learning more about candidates before they vote.

Those are all actions you can do by yourself or with a small group of people. Check out this video of some members of WeAreChange Central Indiana doing a street action in downtown Indianapolis.

These are three guys out on a Sunday afternoon. It is only three people, and one of them is obviously holding the camera! You don't need a big group to get active and make an impact. Notice some of the methods they use to distribute flyers. Also notice how willing the pedestrians are to accept their literature and listen to their brief introduction. Their introduction went something like this:

Hi, would you like some free information? We are members of WeAreChange, an organization started by family and friends of the victims of the September 11th attacks. Did you know that 70 percent of the questions presented by families to the 9/11 Commission were never answered? There are some websites here where you can find more information and ways to get involved.

Some would take it in passing and maybe look at it. A few stopped to talk and asked questions. Listing web sites on the flyers provides them with the opportunity to learn more and take action themselves.

All I ask is that you take some of these ideas and do one of them every week. You can do it by yourself or with others. You can pick any issue you want. You might be alone the first couple times you do it, but showing others that you are taking action will lead others to join you. I will write more articles soon about starting an activist group. I will also share these ideas and discuss them with other activists on the IndyTruth Show every Saturday. The mission of the Summer of Action is possible and it will be powerful! I will be engaging in this effort the next few months, sharing my stories and those of other activists, and offering the tools that will empower you to be a powerful force in this revolution. Please join me in the next step to restoring our liberty!

ABC News is reporting that Ron Paul will make a "big announcement" tonight from Houston, Texas. You can watch the announcement live from the RonPaul2008 channel on Justin.tv.

While much of the media is speculating that the announcement will be the ending of Dr. Paul's campaign for the presidency, I expect that it will focus on his new organization, Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty. Paul writes in an announcement on the campaign's website,

With the primary season now over, the presidential campaign is at an end. But the larger campaign for freedom is just getting started. Therefore, I am happy to announce the official launch of the Ron Paul Campaign for Liberty.

The work of the Campaign for Liberty will take many forms. We will educate our fellow Americans in freedom, sound money, non-interventionism, and free markets. We’ll have our own commentaries and videos on the news of the day. I’ll work with friends I respect to design materials for homeschoolers.

Politically, we’ll expand the great work of our precinct leader program. We’ll make our presence felt at every level of government, where just a few people with our level of enthusiasm can make a world of difference. We’ll keep an eye on Congress and lobby against legislation that threatens us. We’ll identify and support political candidates who champion our great ideas against the empty suits the party establishments offer the public.

We will be a permanent presence on the American political landscape. That I promise you. We’re not about to let all this good work die. To the contrary, with your help we’re going to make it grow – by leaps and bounds.

This is the most ambitious venture of my political career, and I think it can achieve great things. But I can’t do this alone. I need you to help me. I need your energy, your creativity, your ideas, and your dedication.

People frustrated with our political system often wonder what they can do. I have founded this organization to answer that question, to give people the opportunity to do something that really makes a difference in the fight for freedom. Please join me by becoming a member of the Campaign for Liberty. Our goal is 100,000 members by September.

I joined fifteen minutes ago, and as I write, I am watching the member ticker rise by one hundred new members ever few minutes. I have no doubt that Dr. Paul's campaign will reach the goal of 100,000 members. This will be the most successful campaign for liberty in our lifetime.

Please go to the site, read the campaign's mission and strategy, and sign up today. Let's help Ron Paul reach over 10% of the campaign goal (10,000 members) by the time he makes his announcement tonight!

The Constitution Party has nominated Chuck Baldwin for President. Dr. Baldwin has been a supporter of the Ron Paul campaign, and hosts a radio show called Chuck Baldwin Live, through which he has interviewed many important conservative leaders like Ron Paul, Jerome Corsi, and Alan Keyes. Baldwin is a strong opponent of globalization, interventionist foreign policy, and the fiat money system that is destroying our economy.

It is important that Chuck Baldwin gets ballot access in as many states as possible. This will help him get his campaign off the ground. It will also draw in more votes and more awareness of the issues and the Constitution Party. It is important that all those who believe in the causes Dr. Baldwin is fighting for help him with ballot access.

Here in Indiana, Dr. Baldwin will need 33,000 signatures by June 30 to be featured on the ballot for President. Even if you plan to vote for Bob Barr or continue hoping for a Ron Paul rEVOLution at the RNC, giving the voters of Indiana this other choice is a worthy cause.

I have contacted Mark Pool of the Constitution Party of Indiana to get details on ballot access petitions. It is very similar to the petitions we did to get Ron Paul on the primary ballots...

1. Print the CAN-19 form at http://www.state.in.us/sos/pdfs/CAN-19.pdf. Print the 2 pages of the form on 2 sides of a paper.2. You only have to fill out the county on top and the candidates: Chuck Baldwin for President, Darrell Castle for Vice President. Leave everything else on the top and the back blank. Copy as many of these as you think you might use, and then start collecting signatures.3. Signatures must be from registered voters who are residents of the county written on top. If you want to do more than one county, print some CAN-19's for each county.4. You can register new voters, so bring along some copies of the registration form and turn them in to your county election board before the June 30 petition deadline. The voter registration form is available at http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/pdfs/50504.pdf.

If you are going to help out with ballot access petitions for Chuck Baldwin, please contact me at douglass@indytruth.org to let me know. That way I can help keep a count and let you know how to turn in your petition.

The IndyTruth Blog has reached nearly 10,000 readers. While I have been quite busy chairing the Boston Tea Party and haven't posted in awhile, it still appears to get about 20 reads per day. Thank you for reading and spreading the word. I will do my best to keep good stories and activism alerts coming. -Douglass Boston Tea Party